龙伯钓鳌 — “To undertake a monumental task”

龙伯钓鳌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to undertake a monumental task”. To achieve an extraordinary feat; to perform an unparalleled undertaking, often implying great skill or ambition. Literally, “Longbo fishes for the Ao (giant turtle)”.

Frequency

龙伯钓鳌 Pronunciation and Pinyin

龙伯钓鳌 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
龙	lóng	5	mythical divine creature
伯	bó	7	father's elder brother, uncle
钓	diào	8	fish with bait
鳌	áo	18	mythical giant sea turtle

Example Sentence with 龙伯钓鳌

他凭借过人的毅力，完成了这项看似不可能的任务，真可谓是龙伯钓鳌般的壮举。

With his extraordinary perseverance, he completed this seemingly impossible task, truly an undertaking as monumental as Longbo fishing for the Ao.

Origin and Story of 龙伯钓鳌

Legend has it that to the east of the Bohai Sea, there were five mountains that constantly drifted with the waves.

The Jade Emperor commanded fifteen giant Aos (giant turtles) to hold them up with their heads, thus stabilizing the mountains.

A person from the country of Longbo found it very inconvenient to travel because he had to pass by these five mountains. Learning that they were held up by the Ao, he used bait to fish for them. He consecutively caught six Aos, causing two of the mountains to sink into the sea.